Wu Lan stared at the glowing line in his inventory, heart pounding.
[Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline]
A complete bloodline. Just seeing it made his chest tighten with excitement.
But as the joy settled, a strange throbbing sensation stirred deep inside him, specifically within his Martial Spirit.
He closed his eyes and focused.
The Sacred Orchid in his spirit sea pulsed gently at first, then hungrily.
Wu Lan's brows furrowed. That wasn't normal.
"Hungry?" he murmured.
He concentrated more deeply. Then, he understood. The Sacred Orchid was a plant-type Martial Spirit, and so was the Blue Silver Emperor. Instinctively, it craved the superior plant lineage, as though it wanted to devour it and evolve.
Wu Lan hesitated.
But after a short pause, he gave a slow nod.
He found a quiet, hidden cave in the forest and sat cross-legged inside. His eyes closed, his spirit calm.
"Alright," he said inwardly. "You can devour it."
The moment he gave permission, the orchid in his spirit sea began spinning at high speed. At the same time, the [Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline] in his inventory blinked once and vanished.
The devouring began.
For two hours, Wu Lan remained perfectly still. Sweat beaded on his brow as the Sacred Orchid consumed and refined the powerful bloodline.
When the process finally ended, he opened his eyes and gasped.
His Martial Spirit had transformed.
What was once a soft green orchid now glowed with a translucent crystal hue, like a flower sculpted from divine jade. A gentle, calming fragrance drifted into the air, soothing the spirit and mind.
But that wasn't the only change.
Two new skills had appeared in his interface.
[Disguise] - Allows full transformation of physical appearance, aura, Martial Spirit form, and even soul ring color.
[Blue Silver Sense] - Grants perception through nearby Blue Silver Grass, using them as extended senses.
Wu Lan nearly jumped to his feet.
Disguise was the perfect ability, his ultimate safety net. With it, he could hide everything. His strength, his soul rings, even his Martial Spirit. He could absorb beyond-limit soul rings and still pass unnoticed.
After calming down, he returned to his inventory and began absorbing the rest of his rewards.
He took in all the attribute Traces, except most of Trace of Tang Hao's Strength. He only absorbed one, and even that caused his physical strength to spike drastically. He needed time to adapt.
He left Trace of Tang Hao's Soul Power untouched for now. Without a chosen soul ring, it was better used later, strategically.
His Purple Demon Eye quietly broke through to Level 3, an achievement Tang San only reached at age twelve.
His Agility and Defense surged, and Ring Detonation advanced to Intermediate mastery.
Then came an unexpected and thrilling surprise: Ring Detonation no longer permanently consumed soul rings.
The thirty-second time limit remained, but now each ring would restore itself naturally:
Hundred-year: 1–2 days
Thousand-year: 4–5 days
Ten-thousand-year: 1–2 weeks
Red ring: 3–4 weeks
What was once a last-resort gamble had become a powerful, recoverable trump card.
He glanced over his updated status:
[Xuan Tian Record] - Mastery: Intermediate (40%)
[Ring Detonation] - Mastery: Intermediate (0%)
[Trace of Tang Hao's Strength] x3
[Trace of Tang Hao's Soul Power]
[Soul Ring Age] x10,000
Wu Lan clenched his fists.
The strength flowing through his body was immense, and still growing.
After a short period to adjust, he resumed his journey toward the village Chief Jack had mentioned.
As he neared the area, he activated Blue Silver Sense.
The grasses rippled. Information flowed in.
He saw flames. Screams. Chaos.
Bandits were raiding the village.
Without a second thought, Wu Lan activated Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
The world blurred.
His figure flickered and vanished from the path, like a shadow blinking through space. He reappeared again and again, moving not with footsteps, but with liquid, illusion-like teleportation. The earth barely caught his weight before he was gone again, streaking toward the village.
When he arrived, what he saw made him freeze.
The bandits were already down. Groaning. Unconscious.
And at the center of it all stood a girl in a pink dress, fighting the final one. Her long black hair swung like a scorpion's braid, and her graceful movements were both elegant and wild. Each strike was fast and fierce, like a dancing beast.
Wu Lan blinked in shock.
Xiao Wu.
She had taken out all the bandits?
There was no time to dwell. His gaze shifted to the injured villagers. His healing instincts kicked in.
He rushed over and began treating them swiftly, all while keeping a careful eye on the battle.
From the left side of the fight, he circled, checking injuries, but then something caught his attention.
A flash of steel.
A hidden bandit, crouched in the shadows to Xiao Wu's right, was creeping up, knife raised high.
Wu Lan's pupils shrank.
She hadn't seen him.
Without a second thought, he moved.
Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
The world blinked again. Wu Lan vanished from his spot and tore through the battlefield like wind given form.
"Look out!" he shouted.
But the blade was already descending.
He reached Xiao Wu and yanked her wrist, pulling her into his arms just as the knife came crashing down.
His body twisted.
He turned his back to the danger, shielding her completely.
"NO!"
Thud.
Steel struck flesh. A dull, sickening impact.
From Xiao Wu's Perspective
After coming to the human world, Xiao Wu had wandered many villages. The kindness of ordinary people warmed her heart. She had learned about Nuoding Academy, a place for soul masters to study.
But to enroll, she needed an awakening certificate.
So she began her journey toward Nuoding Town.
Along the way, she came across a group of bandits harassing villagers. Fury burned in her chest. She leapt into the fray without hesitation.
The fight ended quickly. Her strength far outmatched theirs. Only one bandit remained.
Just as she prepared to finish him off, a voice shouted from her left.
"Look out!" he shouted.
She turned instinctively, and what she saw startled her.
A boy with long, snow-white hair was dashing toward her. His movement technique was strange. His body blurred, disappearing and reappearing like he was slipping between the folds of space.
It was fast. Unnatural. Like teleportation.
His face was gentle and elegant, almost ethereal. His every step carried a faint orchid scent that calmed her heart, but now, his eyes were full of worry.
She stared, stunned.
But he didn't stop.
In one swift motion, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward him.
She stumbled into his arms, and saw it.
A glint of steel. A massive knife crashing down.
He turned his back.
Thud.
The blade slammed into him.
"NO!" Xiao Wu cried, eyes wide in horror.
She saw the pain ripple through his body, but he didn't let go. His arms remained tight around her, shielding her fully.
Even now, his face stayed calm.